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Search continues for missing swimmer in Potomac River, officials say

Young man was last seen Sunday in water near Billy Goat Trail A and Sandy Landing June 15, 2026 12:03 p.m. 12:10 p.m. The search for a man who went missing Sunday evening while swimming in the Potomac River near Great Falls and the Billy Goat Trail...

Dan Murphy • •3 min read
Search continues for missing swimmer in Potomac River, officials say
Public Safety & Justice

Search continues for missing swimmer in Potomac River, officials say

Young man was last seen Sunday in water near Billy Goat Trail A and Sandy Landing

By

Elia Griffin

June 15, 2026 12:03 p.m. | Updated: June 15, 2026 12:10 p.m.

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    Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service crews and county police at the scene of a search and rescue mission for a young man who was swimming in the Potomac River. Photo credit: Pete Piringer, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service

    The search for a man who went missing Sunday evening while swimming in the Potomac River near Great Falls and the Billy Goat Trail resumed Monday morning by Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) crews, according to spokesperson Pete Piringer.

    Around 6:15 p.m. on Sunday, local law enforcement agencies and MCFRS crews, including its swift water rescue team, were dispatched to the area near Billy Goat Trail A and Sandy Landing following a report of a swimmer in distress, Piringer told Bethesda Today on Monday.

    “We were able to get there pretty quickly and deploy boats pretty quickly,” Piringer said Monday morning.

    Rescue crews and first responders, including Montgomery County police and U.S. Park Police, searched the area for several hours on Sunday and stopped around sunset at 8:30 p.m., according to Piringer.

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    “We did a pretty exhaustive search,” Piringer said.

    Piringer did not identify the swimmer and said he could not confirm the man’s age. He noted that the man was of “college age” and believed he was from Gaithersburg.

    The man was among a group of “young adults” that had been swimming in the river across from Sandy Landing, which is where the man was last seen, according to Piringer. While swimming, the man called out for help, went underwater and never resurfaced.

    On Sunday, crews searched around the Potomac River’s shorelines, used sonar and thermal imaging, Piringer said. Six rescue boats crisscrossed the waterway, double and triple checking areas for the man, a search helicopter flew above and in total, about 50 people assisted but were not successful in finding the man.

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    On Monday morning, MCFRS rescue teams resumed their search for the man, who is presumed to have drowned. If the search is not successful Monday, MCFRS crews will continue their search for the next few days, according to Piringer.

    “We’re always hopeful at first that the person self-rescues on the shoreline somewhere. We don’t think that’s the case,” Piringer said.

    Crews will continue to search the shorelines and use thermal and sonar imaging on Monday, according to Piringer. In addition, two MCFRS rescue boats are out on the water and MCFRS plans to deploy several more Monday afternoon. A U.S. Park Police helicopter is aiding in the search as well.

    Piringer noted that search teams will need to do their due diligence while searching in the waterway. In the past, missing swimmers have been pulled underwater by the river’s strong currents and caught on debris or stuck between rocks, he said.

    Swimming in many areas of the Potomac River, especially near Great Falls, is prohibited, Piringer said. Despite many signs that warn people not to enter or swim in the water, people still do.

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    “Swimming is prohibited in those areas for good reason,” Piringer said. “It doesn’t matter where you go; the currents are always a challenge. They’re more dangerous and stronger down near the Great Falls.”

    With low water levels in the Potomac, Piringer said that boat operators in the area have told him that the water’s currents are particularly dangerous, can change in strength frequently and are unpredictable.

    “Maybe some of the young people are familiar with areas that have been safe in the past but that might not be the case [anymore] because the water levels change,” Piringer said.

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    Originally published at Bethesdamagazine